India

Hyderabad: After film critic Kathi Mahesh, seer Swami Paripoornanda in war of words on Ramayana banned from city

After externing film critic Kathi Mahesh from Hyderabad for six months, police issued similar orders against Swami Paripoornanda who had been demanding action against Mahesh and had issued threats to him.

Officials said that the seer has been asked to leave and not enter the city without police permission for six months. Mahesh and the seer were involved in a war of words over the film critic’s comments on Ramayana. Swami Paripoornanda had threatened to take out a yatra demanding action against Mahesh and police had kept him under house arrest from Monday till Wednesday afternoon. Swami Paripoornanda is also the founder of Rashtriya Hindu Sena.

Hyderabad Police had on Monday externed Mahesh from the city for six months on charges of vitiating the atmosphere with his comments on Ramayana. On Tuesday, Swami Paripoornanda was issued a showcause notice to which he did not respond. Hyderabad Police on Wednesday morning issued the externment order against the seer under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act, 2017.

Mahesh was among the first to condemn the seer’s externment. Mahesh said on social media that externing people was against the spirit of democracy.

The BJP has reacted strongly to the ban order against the seer.

BJP leaders, including former Union Minister and MP Bandaru Dattatreya, party’s floor leader in the Legislative Assembly G Kishan Reddy, met Governor ESL Narasimhan on the issue. “The externment is undemocratic,” Dattatreya said after meeting the governor. “As per the bifurcation act, the governor is vested with the responsibility to offer protection to anyone if the government shows any discrimination in Hyderabad,” Reddy said.